31 Jul (NucNet): Japanese laboratories analysing seawater, marine sediment and fish samples from near the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power station in Japan produce reliable data, according to an International Atomic Energy Agency report released on 31 July 2017.
The IAEA report says six missions organised between 2014 and 2016 had shown that Japan’s sample collection procedures follow the standards required to obtain representative samples.
It further points out that the results obtained in interlaboratory comparisons “demonstrate a high level of accuracy and competence on the part of the Japanese laboratories involved in the analyses of radionuclides in marine samples for the sea area monitoring programme.”
Interlaboratory comparisons and tests involve laboratories separately testing and analysing samples and then comparing results.
Seven Japanese laboratories and three labs from outside Japan took part in the comparisons.
The IAEA has worked with the Japanese laboratories since 2014, following a request by the Japanese government to help it in ensuring that its sea area monitoring around Fukushima-Daiichi maintains a high quality, and is comprehensive, credible and transparent.
The most recent interlaboratory comparison performed late last year involved seawater samples and six batches of fresh fish caught near the Fukushima-Daiichi station.
The seawater samples were analysed for tritium (hydrogen-3), strontium-90, caesium-134 and caesium-137.
The fish samples were analysed for caesium-134 and caesium-137.
